Will of the Fire's Cycle
by Rahi892
Summary: "Where the tree leaves dance, One shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again tree leaves shall bud anew." "But soon the Flames will fade, and only dark will remain."
1. The Monarch Awakes

I sat upon the throne.

I saw the last light erased as the doors closed.

And my world erupted in flame.

And in the flame memories flickered and danced in my sight and in my mind.

_"See? It is as I have foretold. This is what remains of the Old One, now dead and his power torn asunder. Stay here my lord, the Witch and I shall see what we can salvage of this power. No, no, let us, she is used to wild and primal power, whilst I am accustom to corpses."_

_"We built our Kingdom on this power! We cannot let it fade, not like this. There is now something worse than the colorless fog out there, we cannot be defenseless against it. I shall see if we can create a new flame. The first came from the old one, and was linked to its nature. The key to a new fire must lie with Demons..."_

_"Magnificent… You are the righteous successor to Gwyn, the new Great Lord."_

_"Once, there was a king who sacrificed himself to satiate a primordial fire from which he and his kind drew power from. However, a covetous man wanted this power all to himself, and so he slaughtered the king. He now stands where the rightful king should be, where you should be."_

_"And the arrogant man struck down the saint, and built a throne upon that place. From there he rules, his corrupting influence needs to be purified."_

_"This was the right choice. Seal it away and let it remain deprived of fuel."_

_"Yes my King, a throne. But not just any throne, the true throne. If you sit upon it you will have the power to combat this curse"_

_"Great Sovereign, take your throne. What lies ahead, only you can see."_

Were these all mine, or the fires? If mine, how often had I been the monarch, how often had I been "chosen"?

How often did I bring a blade to my own neck?

I feel so tired

The children of the dark have perished, and the lurker in the abyss is no more. Shall the cycle continue even then? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, I may now rest until the cycle begins anew, however long that may be.

* * *

_"This is the worst day ever."_

That's all I could think as I looked over to where Sasuke and Naruto were sleeping. That fight with that Orochimaru guy almost killed us; the fact that we're still alive is all thanks to Sasuke's courage…. And Naruto's. But still, what was with that mark on the back of his neck. Orochimaru bit him, that mark appears, and he just leaves. But I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. We're alive, and Sasuke and Naruto will wake up soon. Hopefully.

Still, it's a good thing I found this giant tree. The roots overhead provide excellent cover from anything above us, and the large field beyond was perfect for setting up a few traps. A squirrel almost ran into one and set it off, but I scarred it off with a kunai. Still one thing that's bugging me is that… thing… further into the tree. It looks like two large doors, but made of stone and no clear way to open them. It appears to be part of a larger structure but it's hidden by more roots.

I really couldn't think about what it could be. I really couldn't think about much anyway

I feel so tired

"Some lookout, you're half asleep."

No!

* * *

*Thump*

Strange, did that noise come from outside? Is it time already?

How odd that I should still be aware of the previous cycle this time around. From what I had gleaned from the fire I tend to forget the last one.

If those memories were mine, of course.

I raised myself from my throne and moved towards the doors that I knew were just ahead.

I placed my hands upon the door and gave an experimental push. Whatever impacted the doors had jarred them loose, and with a great heave I opened the doors.

And there was light.

* * *

*Thump*

"Lee!"

I couldn't believe it, how such a small sound could come from something so devastating. Lee had been knocked deep into the tree, and hit the stone within. I could tell that on top of the injuries he received and that vibration technique used by that Sound Ninja's gauntlet that the impact did him no favors.

I tried to fight back, I did. I was doing really well too. After cutting my hair with the kunai and using a few substitution jutsus I was able to get a hit on one of the three, Zaku I think his name was. But the one hunched over, Dosu, decided to "punish" me for resisting by hitting Lee again while he was down. The worst part was he didn't stop.

"Stop it! Stop it! You've already won! Leave Lee alone!"

Dosu had by then made his way further into the tree to continue hurting Lee. He turned his head to face mine, "Now, now, a lesson needs to be learned here; his last though I'm afraid."

"No! Stop it!"

Just then a loud noise, stone grinding against stone, came from the tree. The stone doors were opening. I could see Dosu looking inside and stepping back with shock. After a few moments I could see why.

A large Imposing figure stepped out of the space within. He, the broad shoulders and chest indicated that well enough, was wearing what looked like steel plated armor on his chest and arms, with what looked to be simple pants and leather boots. Across the shoulders and back was white fur, and around his neck and rear portion of his waist was an elaborate teal cloth. His helm seemed to be steel as well, with the slots for eyes so thin she couldn't see within, with a kind of crest on top of it.

The figure looked around the area, as If taking in everything he was seeing, especially on Dosu and Lee. Finally he spoke.

"What is going on here, may I ask?"

* * *

A just question I felt. As I was opening the doors I hear gasps of pain, shouts and pleads of mercy, a cold rebuttal, and had come to assume the worst. The Throne sat deep in the mountain castle Drangleic was built on, and there was significant effort involved in reaching it. Therefore for there to be sounds of struggle gave only few possibilities. Someone trying to take the throne, and a group of defenders trying to repel him. Or a cult dedicated to that hateful creature Nashandra and sacrificing others here at the place of her defeat. Equally grim scenarios played in my head when I opened the door.

That was not what I found.

What I found was _children_

not one of them looked a day over thirteen, and many of them were dressed in a most ridiculous fashion. Bandages covering the entire head and an overly large shirt, Patterned print scarfs reminiscent of a cow, green body suits, orange body suits, boots with the toes exposed, scarlet dress, blue high collared shirt, none of this attire screamed warrior. Yet the evidence before me suggests that they were indeed trying to murder one another. One thing I did notice was they were all wearing headbands with an engraved metal plate, one type had a musical note while the other had... some form of embellished spiral.

I need answers and I need them now.

"Well, Whats happening here? Why does this one," I motioned to the boy in green, "Look like someone's been bludgeoning him"

The hunched over boy with the bandages seemed to regain his composure first, "That is quite frankly none of your concern. I don't know what you were doing in there, but this forest has been sectioned off for the _Chunin_ exam, if you're not a proctor it would be in your best interest to leave," stepping forward and brandishing an odd gauntlet as he finished.

My head ached when he said that word before exam. It was not a word I recognized, and yet reverberating through my mind I felt the meaning of the word... somehow. The word approximates to middle rank _something_, but what that something was I wasn't sure. As the rest of his sentence began to register I noticed with surprise that, indeed, I had awoken to a forest, and not inside the mountain below Drangleic castle.

Examination of this situation can wait, best deal with these children

"I know nothing of this Chunin exam you speak of, but your attempt to intimidate me is laughable child."

Another boy farther back, raised his arms and faced his palms towards me. Palms with holes in them. "We're not children!" he yelled.

Quickly I managed to dodge sideways, missing an invisible blast ravage the spot I once stood. This boy is impressive; to be able use Emit Force without a talisman or chime to channel his faith requires vocation of the highest caliber. Very well, I shall have to take this seriously.

Unsheathing my blade I dashed towards the boy, quickly closing the distance. He tried to use Emit Force again and like before I rolled out of the way and continuing my charge. With me just inches away from a good slash I saw him do some motions with his hands, but I payed little mind to it. Now in range I swung my sword and sliced him twain, and to the earth fell...

A log?

There were many things I expected to happen when I cut him... Him suddenly turning into a log was not one of them. Nor did I expect to be hit by an Emitted Force launched by the miraculously unhurt boy off to my left. Turning to look at him I noticed the others with the musical note engraving had joined him

If they could all do that this had the potential to be an annoying fight.

* * *

_"What's with this man?"_

First he knows nothing of the Chunin exam, then he calls that Dosu guy a kid, then he seems confused by the substitution jutsu, and then theirs that sword of his. Its curved like most blades, but it seems far more curved, and the blade gets really wide before it tappers off at the tip. But what really caught my eye was the hilt. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, with intricate patterns of gold and jewels embedded in it. It looked like it should be displayed on a wall or in a museum, not to be used as a weapon. Either way he wasn't doing any damage, with Zaku getting out of the way like that. The other two sound ninja were now with their comrade, and facing the man.

Dosu chuckled to himself, "You've shown that that sword you carry isn't for show, and being able to move that quickly with that armor must mean your physical condition is excellent. However," Dosu raised his gauntlet, "With that alone, I'm afraid you'll be no match for us."

The man then stood up straight and extended his hand palm up. They, along with me, seemed rather confused by the action, until his hand burst into flame. A ball of fire was formed, which he then threw at the group. they moved back out of the way to avoid the fireball, but as it hit the ground the ball burst, spraying lava, of all things, towards the sound ninja. A few of the droplets made contact, catching their cloths on fire and eliciting screams of pain

_"This is impossible, he didn't make any hand signs! While some jutsu can be used without hand signs it requires a large amount of concentration and near jonin level skill, and a simple substitution jutsu seemed to confuse him. And that jutsu... I've never heard of a jutsu that produced lava as an aftereffect!"_

Dosu seemed to regain his composure first, after putting himself out of course.

"You managed to catch us by surprise. Congratulations, but you wont get a second shot-"

The mans fist connected to Dosu's face launching the latter back, having closed the distance while Dosu was putting out his clothing.

* * *

_"Why does this child feel the need to talk through this fight, its all well and good to gloat but this is distracting."_

The boy seems shocked by this development as well, strange. Being distracted in battle is a dangerous thing, and talking is takes far too much personal attention. No one I've fought talked this much, in fact very few of them spoke at all. Perhaps I should have tried speaking to them though. Many of them that could probably talk had sympathetic reasons for doing what they though, like Quelaag, and Kirk... and Quelaag, and Kirk...

Who are they? Never mind.

Where was I? Ah yes the children. They seemed rather upset by me punching their apparent leader in the face. I suppose killing a child is still rather hard for me to think about, or else I would have used my blade. But something strange happened, they seem to surprised and shocked by something.

Suddenly I felt a cold and disgusting sensation some was behind me.

"Sasuke!"

I turned my head back, There was the blue shirted boy, but a foulness emanated from him, and black markings snaked across his body

"Sakura... Who did this to you?"

Foul, cold, and utterly familiar.

The boy was Cursed.

Fantastic.


	2. Polite Introductions

That boy in blue could be a problem.

"_What are you doing?!"_

"_These arms of yours, you seem rather attached to them."_

"_No! Stop!"_

_CRACK_

Quite the problem indeed. It isn't unheard of for the recently cursed to become violent towards perceived threats, and become rather cruel and sadistic in the process. The curse tends to destabilize the normal connection between the soul and the body, binding them in unnatural ways while also tearing them apart. The result is a creature that no longer possesses rational thought but is also controlled by emotions it no longer understands. The boy's violence is the beginning of the curse altering his soul and bringing out his strongest, and darkest, emotions. A prelude to the kind of life he can expect as a hollow.

What puzzles me is this: the boy is not dead. While the curse of the undead usually requires one to have deceased, hence the name, the boy clearly still lives. While the human effigy can help us to recall our living forms it does not bring back hunger, thirst, arousal, breath, tears, and warmth. Yet the boy has drunk water, has complained for breath when the girl in scarlet held him tightly, and that very girl declared his body temperature "normal" whilst checking if he was truly well. Then there is the matter of his darksign; three comma marks and not the circular brand familiar to me. Someone has altered the curse and used it on the living. The question is why?

"So, who are you?"

Ah yes, I forgot, These people are more active in engaging conversation than those I am used to. The boy in blue is looking at me with such hostility. Perhaps he thinks I to am a threat? It would be best to answer him, but it might be risky just giving my name away, and I can test something.

"My name is Ricard" There's always a legend of Prince Ricard, the fact I remember hearing the tale in some of my earlier memories continuing into the later ones attests to that fact.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha" So we have a name after all. It sounds Eastern, and his appearance strengthens this. I would explain the poor fashion, they always tended to dress oddly. What are Easterners doing here though, It takes quite a bit of time and effort to came all this way.

What's more, he didn't even flinch at my pseudonym, meaning that the legend of Prince Ricard is either forgotten or not told here. What a pity, and I so wanted to hear the latest embellishment too.

The girl is talking now as well, saying her name is Sakura or some-such. I don't really care, I'm far more interested in the fact that there is, one: a forest on mount Drangleic, and two: a tree growing on the Throne. Has the Throne truly been forsaken by the world then? Far more time must have passed than I thought. In my memories kingdoms have risen and fallen on this spot, yet for the very land to change between then and now speaks to the eons past. If this must time has indeed gone by then... There is nothing... Nothing left of the places I've been to. Nothing left of the monuments that stood the tests of time. Nothing left of Majula, of Drangleic, of Eloyc, nothin-

CLANG

"Pay attention, I asked you a question!" Sasuke said, a pebble in his hand.

"Hmph, there are more polite ways of attracting someones attention Then tossing pebbles at their head. So what was it?"

"How did you get here? Sakura told me you came out of a door in the tree over there. How did you get in there in the first place?"

Demanding, isn't he? Might as well "answer" his question.

"I entered through a door in a castle on a mountain, traveled to the mountains core, entered a room, and exited into this forest"

I almost laughed at the face he made in anger "Impossible, Besides the _Hokage_ monument there are no other mountains near here, not ones with a castle anyway. And certain _ninja_ in our village can see underground so we know there are no passages into the village that way. You can't just enter one place and end up somewhere unconnected!"

I actually did laugh at that. "You'd be surprised boy!"

This made him even more upset "I'm not a boy, I'm a _shinobi_!"

I've been getting that feeling again, where I hear a word I don't understand and I can hear echos of its meaning. Shinobi and ninja being near the same thing, and Hokage being fire shadow or something to that effect. Whatever they are though it probably mark some form of maturity, neither he nor the cleric liked being referred to as children. Fortunately before we could continue down this particular path in our conversation I noticed movement below the roots.

"Ah, the blonde boy stirs."

* * *

_"Oww, what happened? Why does my stomach hurt?"_

the pain around there made sitting up suck. The back of my head also hurt, I guess It had something to do with lying on the ground. Why was I on the ground? I tried to remember and-

*_Hiss*_

"_What an interesting childhood you must have had."_

Oh yeah, those snakes and that freaky snake lady! What did she do to me! Last I remember is she punched me in the stomach, but that shouldn't have been able to knock me out. If there's one thing I know about me, its that I'm hard to keep down! But still, maybe it was a weird jutsu or something, I dunno.

"Naruto!"

"Ah! Sakura! Are you alright?" Sakura looked... Different. Ah! I know It was her hair! "What happened to your hair!"

She looked a bit distant for a moment... kinda sad too. But then she cheered up and said, "I just felt like changing it." Huh, I guess that alright. Well It's fine if she's okay.

I saw Sasuke up, of course. If there's one thing I know about Sasuke he comes out of every problem acting so cool all the while. It's annoying if you ask me.

"So, you're finally up. Took you long enough."

"Hey!"

Yeah, his attitude really gets on my nerves some times and- Huh? Who's that?

Next to Sasuke was a man in a whole lot of armor, and he also had this really fancy looking sword. Sasuke and Sakura didn't mind him so I guess he was OK.

"Who's this guy?"

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised as I was when the man answered himself, "I am Ricard."

Never heard of him, and his names kinda weird, so I don't think he's from Konoha. "Where are you from?"

"Drangleic"

"Never heard of It." I saw Sakura start to move. Oh man please don't let her start lecturing me and making me feel like and idiot.

"I've never heard of it either." Yes! Yes! Yes! She continued asking, "Is it far away?"

I swear that man was smiling behind his helmet, "Hmm, yes, in a sense."

Sakura looked OK with that answer but Sasuke looked like he always does, except even more so,"What do you mean 'in a sense'?"

The guy turned to Sasuke and said "She's correct in some ways but wrong in others. What else could I mean?"

This guy is starting to remind me of Kakashi a little bit. But he did tell me who he was at least.

"Well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!"

He started looking around the forest. "yes yes that's nice."

Wow. I've been told I'm dreaming, I'm never going to be Hokage, I'm just kidding myself, and all that kinda stuff, but I've never had someone just dismiss me like that. That actually kinda hurts.

"Hey! You lookin' for something?"

He turned his face to me and said, "Oh, well, I'm quite curious where those two groups ran off to."

"Two groups? what two groups?"

Sakura answered for him, "A group of sound ninja attacked while you and Sasuke were asleep, Lee came by and defended me for a while until he was badly injured. Then this man arrived and fought them off."

Huh, Sasuke seemed to be giving her a look then stopped when she finished. Wonder what that's about. Also who was Lee? Wait I've heard that name before. Lee... Lee... Lee...

"Oh Yeah! Lee was that guy with the bushy eyebrows and that green jumpsuit! Man that guy was weird."

That guy, Ricard, chuckled a bit, "Say what you want about his eyebrows, but you must admit that wearing green in a forest is _sensible."_

I actually hadn't thought of that, that's actually a really good point.

"Thinking back on it, the other group gave you something didn't they?"

Sakura perked up at his reminder, "Right! They actually gave us their earth scroll before they left, meaning we're not out of this yet! All we need to do now is get a heaven scroll and get to the tower."

* * *

Tower? They were headed to a tower?

"Excuse me Ma'am, but what is this tower you speak of?"

She turned to me a bit confused, "It's the tower in the middle of the forest, Its where the next part of the Chunin Exam might be held, though I'm not sure. Oh, that's right you don't know what that is."

The blonde youth, Naruto, asked, "You don't know what the Chunin exams are? What have you been living under a rock?"

"No, it was a tree," A common problem today, no matter how truthful I am the answers I give only serve to make them more annoyed than they already were. While ignoring angry muttering from the boy, I listened to Sakura's explanation of the Chunin exam. From what I was able to learn there shall be people of authority at the tower who I may ask about the local land. It would be best to know where I am and what has happened before developing any sort of plan. Yes wandering aimlessly has worked in the past but it can't work forever.

"Well", I began, "I shall accompany you to this tower. I believe it would be more convenient travelling together, no?"

While Sakura seemed happy with this and Naruto seemed accepting of it, Sasuke showed resistance to the idea

"We have no idea who you are or why you're here. Taking you anywhere may endanger _Konoha."_

Another of these words, something like leaf, but I can tell there's more to it than that. Probably the name of his town, city, or village.

"Well if I leave this forest unsupervised then no-one knows where I may end up, and if I go with you I shall aid you with my blade if you wish. Then when we get to the tower those in authority there can determine whether I'm a threat and act accordingly. Accepting only means you get additional help, and if I am a threat you might be rewarded for leading me to those who could imprison me. You hold all the cards in this deal."

After a while he eventually nodded his head. Apparently he weighed the benefits and found them to his liking.

"Then let us be off! Show me the way and I shall follow!" Indeed, there is no finer thing in the world than some jolly cooperation!


	3. The King and Forest of Death

_I forgot how much I hate "Jolly" cooperation!_

Oh yes It's all well and good to summon another fellow to fight with you against a particularly strong foe, but not everyone is Jester Thomas. I bear no grudge to him for his invasion, he was one of the few people I summoned with any common sense! The rest would find someway to bumble, fall, die, and attract every out of the way hollow while we made our way to the more powerful foes of the land. Even fewer were worth a damn in a fight: Bellclaire, Lucatiel, Benhart, and Vengarl. These fighters I respected since they could hold their own, the rest showed so little capability of actually conquering the powerful souls of the land that they provided merely momentary distractions in our fights. Yes, in my experience most summons were glorified meat-shields, as well as bumbling, clumsy, clods!

_"Hey Dude! Get a move on!"_

It's a whole other world when _you're_ the bumbling clumsy clod.

What is it about these children? I had expected us to move quickly but not this quickly. They were sprinting through the trees for Fire's sake! I had expected them to slow after a while but no, they apparently were able to keep this pace. Even with my soul as powerful as is, I cannot run forever. I waved them off, told them I now had a general idea of which way to go and would catch up when I could. That Sasuke gave me such a glare at this announcement; however after the arguments I gave to get him to agree with taking me he probably wasn't appreciative of me backing out now. The others were none too happy about it either, Naruto in particular was rather vocal in his annoyance. Sakura however was a bit more understanding and convinced the other two to simply let me be.

Now I can travel though the forest at my own pace, perhaps take in the sights of this new forest. The trees here are very large, like the enormous trees found in the things betwixt. However while those trees were gnarled and ancient, these trees were smoother, healthy, and actually possessed a canopy made of leaves and not a web of moss covered branches. I can also be fairly certain things like distance are fairly constant in this forest, while such things were more fluid there. The things betwixt was a result of one of the more subtle aspects of Drangleic. The flow of time for many ages was convoluted, warping and wavering and causing interactions between those centuries apart. However more recently in Drangleic it was more than just time that began to shift and bend.

This must no longer be true however, because it feels like I'm taking a life time to get anywhere in this forest! The ground is uneven, there are tree roots everywhere, and I am continuously assaulted by these tiny flies! They are not alone however, large centipedes, dog sized beetles, and other such many legged evils attacked me. Imagine, hordes of insects would be attracted to walking carrion, who would have thought? Fortunately my beautiful scimitar makes short work of them, disgusting creatures.

Well nothing for it, just have to keep moving forward. I'll catch up to those kids eventually, they need to eat and sleep. I on the other hand can just keep moving at this solid pace and I'll catch up with them. It's only a matter of time.

* * *

I don't know how long I've been walking honestly, I'm just bored of it by now.

Hm? There seems to be a lot of noise up ahead, perhaps I'm getting somewhere.

I reached a vantage point up ahead and see a most curious sight. Its my three little companions, and one with glasses, face a horde of Identical foes. Each of these foes is covered in a sort of black garb, with a cloth bandage over their eyes and... a mouth guard? On their forehead is a metal plate with four vertical lines, so probably of a different faction. He watched as Naruto struck one of them, causing it to ripple. Apparently they are less corporeal than they appear. After a short exchange one of them starts flinging throwing knives at Sasuke, and the young man with glasses forces him to the ground. Can he not move? A side affect of the Curse no doubt. Very well, I promised them my sword, may as well give what I promised.

* * *

_"Dammit, why cant I move?!"_

My neck, it hurts again. Whatever that bastard did to me is going to get me killed! It even hurts to use my sharingan. These guys, they're just illusions, the real ninjas are probably hidden somewhere. They have to be close, or else they couldn't throw kunai or shuriken. Kabuto's come to the same conclusion and let Naruto in on it, and Sakura too, she seems a bit flustered by this fight so she might not have thought of that.

"These guys are the type to hang in the back and attack from a distance. They're weak to taijutsu and close range fighting, so they're not going to come out until we tire ourselves out. For now, all we can do is dodge their attacks."

"Well what about blocking?"

What? That voice. Whats he doing here?

Ricard burst from the a nearby hedge on a cliff and ran towards us. He had a shield on his left arm which he was using to bat away incoming shuriken and kunai. Kabuto seemed rather shocked by his appearance.

"Who are you?"

Ricard glanced his way briefly before responding, "Ricard, A friend."

"He helped us before when we were in trouble, I'm sure we can trust him," said Sakura.

Kabuto seemed to relax a bit, "Well, blocking them may help, but unless you have more shields tucked away somewhere _we_ wont be able to block them."

"But of course I have more!" Ricard said cheerfully, before pulling out a small box. It's probably like a storage scroll since he then started pulling out very, VERY large shields and passing them around. I got one that was white with a hand prints all over it, Naruto got one that was blue with an embellished sun on it, Sakura got one with two images of a dragon on it, Kabuto got a very heavy one that seemed to be made out of stone, and Ricard used... A giant mirror. It's probably stronger than it looks but still...

After the shields were distributed we made a formation that protected all of our sides, with Sakura's shield being used for the top since it was the lightest. In this formation kunai and shuriken hit the shields but left us completely unharmed. All the while the illusions outside kept chanting 'Give us the scroll'.

"Naruto," I whispered, trying to get his attention.

"Hm? Yeah?"

"Do you think you could make a shadow clone and get it to scout around without being seen?"

He nodded, and briefly letting go of his shield, made the hand-signs. Then we waited... and waited... and-

Naruto snapped to full attention. Breaking formation he pointed to a specific area in the trees and yelled, "They're over there!"

Ricard dropped his mirror shield and held a hand out, which then burst into a fireball. He lobbed that fireball over to where Naruto pointed,igniting the trees and causing the three enemy ninja to fall out. No hand-signs, and the fire on the trees is already gone, A kekkei-genkai? Now they stood exposed, and, if Kabuto was correct, there was no way they could beat us at close range.

"Not bad, I don't know how you found us, but I congratulate you for doing so. But now you have to face our ninjutsu!"

"Mist Clone Jutsu!"

* * *

_Talented cowards aren't they?_

A few swings of my sword were enough to determine that these were mere illusions, but the question is where did the real ones go? Did they run away? Naruto, who had joined me in the fray, had, just then, received a small cut on his arm by another throwing knife. So no, they have not run away. But the question remains, where are they?

CLANK

What the?

I turned around and saw one of the enemy combatants holding a throwing knife like a dagger with a confused look on his face. Did he just try to stab me? With a throwing knife? Through Titanite reinforced armor? I'm not sure whether to punch him for his arrogance or congratulate him for his ambition, The Lords know I've done similar stunts just to see if I could.

From behind I heard one of his comrades (again with the talking) say, "We might not be able to get you through that armor, but kunai can still pierce through cloth!"

CLANK

Apparently he just tried to stab through my trousers... And failed. Even they were reinforced so this was hardly surprising to me. The same could not be said of the other two, having heard the sound of metal on metal from stabbing cloth. Being within range of both of them I struck them hard in the faces with my reinforced gauntlets, knocking them out cold. Huh, that reminds me, I punched the bandaged boy in the face too, I wonder how he's doing?

* * *

"C'mon Dosu, are you okay?"

He knocked away my hand, "I'm fine Kin, just a little dizzy."

"You've been "a little dizzy" for three days! That's not normal and you're not fine!"

He glared at me, "I'm well enough to finish this exam, lets just keep moving."

* * *

I'm sure he's fine. Well two out of three down, just one more.

"Hyyyeeeeeaaaaaah!"

Oh for the love of Fina.

I didn't even need to move. Naruto kicked the idiot as he tried to attack me, knocking him out as well. As the last of our opponents fell so too did the illusions, making the clearing fell much less crowded. Naruto was rummaging through their pockets and seemed very happy when he found what he was looking for.

"YES! YES! We've got a Heaven scroll!"

Good for him, whatever that meant.

The one with glasses seemed glad for him too, "Well now we can go to the tower, It isn't far from here thankfully so we can just walk there and still make it on time."

Wonderful! At least now I shan't be left behind again.


	4. The Shadow and the King

We indeed reached our destination shortly. The boy in glasses, Kabuto as his teammates called him, left to enter from another entrance of the tower, leaving us to enter on our own.

So this is the tower? It looked odd to say the least. I had the eastern style I had seen in many illustrations of the land, but it seemed different. Piping and wires ran across some of its walls, and their purpose eluded me. The doors to the tower were made of metal, but were marked only by a piece of paper, and seemed designed for practicality rather than ornamentation. Most towers had looming gates adorned with intricate designs but these seemed to be like doors one would use to enter a house. Along the outside I could see rooms and balconies jutting out in uneven ways and seemingly random places. Four cables ran from the top of the tower and ran outwards across the forest canopy. Whoever designed this tower meant for it to be a place of utility instead of artistic grandeur.

Entering inside confirmed this, Apart from two balconies above us the room was bare, save for a plaque and some papers placed on the walls. By looking at the plaque and the papers, I have come to revelation: I can't read. As nothing remains from Drangleic I doubt its writing system is still in use, therefore my ability to read it is now useless. However, if I cant read their language then how come I understand their speech? Logic dictates that after the countless years I have been removed from the world that the language that I speak no longer coincides with the language they speak. Maybe we aren't speaking the same language? No, no spell or miracle known to man can cause him to comprehend other tongues, indeed nothing could suddenly grant him understanding of a new language. Except, very few of my companions came from the same land, and each possessed their own language. I only know the language of my birth, so how did I understand them?

"Naruto! Sakura! Get back!"

Oh dear I seemed to have done it again, I must really stop naval gazing.

Over by the children a man had suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke. He was wearing blue pants and a vest of some material unknown to me. His skin was slightly tanned with a lightly colored scar across his nose, and his hair was tied back behind his head. He wore the same metal headband as the other children so I needn't worry of any aggression from him.

"Hey, long time no see huh?"

"Iruka sensei?!" Sakura asked, apparently surprised by this man Iruka's presence. So they know each other? The term sensei gave me a small headache accompanied by visions of Carhillion and Straid. So this man must be a tutor or trainer of sorts? It makes sense then that he would come to see his student's accomplishments.

The man seems rather oblivious to me, continuing to address the children and informing them on how he had been tasked to inform them that they passed the second exam, and something about treating them to something called ramen. The later news seemed to excite Naruto greatly, the food must be a favorite of his I suppose.

Sasuke, strangely, seemed amused by something else, "I see, so If we looked in the scrolls during the exam... What would you have done to us Iruka sensei?" Huh, the scrolls? What about them?

"I see, you're still sharp as ever Sasuke." Iruka said picking up the scrolls. Within them were some rather complex designs made of text, which I would probably appreciate more if I could read it. "You've figured out the secret, part of this exam was to see how well you could see a difficult mission all the way through. You we ordered not to look inside the scroll as part of your instructions, and if you had we were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. Some students figured that out the hard way." So he and others were following us? If so why was I not immediately confronted when I was separated from the group, or at least confronted at the outside of the tower?

"Sensei, what does that writing on the wall mean? The writing is partially eaten away," Sakura asked.

Iruka then launched into an explanation of how chunin should study and meditate if they are feeble of mind, and train physically if they are weak of body. All irrelevant to me though, due to the curse.

"Well, just go through these doors and head to the central arena, there you'll be able to hear more about the third exam."

"And what of me?"

* * *

What?!

A man is standing over by the corner of the room. I didn't even notice him! What is he doing with these three?

"Who are you?! How did you get here!" I asked of him, preparing a kunai just in case.

The man raised a hand, "Hold there, I am Ricard, and these three escorted me to this tower."

I threw a questioning glance to Naruto and the others before addressing him again, "Why? Why come to the tower?"

"I found myself in the woods somehow and I was lost," he said.

Impossible, there are high fences around the Forest of Death, and guards surrounding it to prevent other nations from "aiding" their own chunin hopefuls. How would he have gotten in

Sakura, surprisingly, spoke in his defense, "He's not an enemy, Sensei! He appeared after opening a pair of stone doors underneath a tree in the forest, and helped us twice."

He... helped them? I looked towards him, and he nodded. Well, at least he isn't a danger to my students, yet. But one question nagged at me, "How did you get in the Forest? What are the stone doors she mentioned?"

"That is question best left to your leader, which I hope I can meet soon. I am rather lost, and some knowledge of the land would be most beneficial."

So he wants to see the Hokage? Sure, he would want to see him anyway, and him coming willingly is better than trying to subdue him. "Alright then, come with me."

He turned as he followed me, waving Team Seven goodbye.

"You're lucky you know. The Hokage is here now to oversee the exam finalists."

He made a small humming noise in the back of his throat,"Is that so? And here I thought we would have to make our way to your village."

Strange, My comment was only meant as a formality but he seemed to find it actually informative. If he were a ninja he would know that the local Kage, or ours at least, always meets with the finalists of the second exam to congratulate them. So he's either a civilian, a ronin, or some kind of mercenary. Since Sakura said he helped them then he must have some kind of fighting skill, so probably the latter two.

We soon reached the door to the Hokage's temporary office, "Wait here a moment, I'll tell the Hokage you're here. He has to address the the finalists soon so it will be up to him to decide to see you now or after."

I couldn't see his face through the helmet, but his body language communicated clearly that this annoyed him. Never the less he nodded his head. Opening the door I stepped inside the office. Inside was the Hokage, and also the two chunin Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. Then I saw on a couch facing away from me was Anko Mitarashi, clutching her shoulder in pain.

"Lord Hokage, I'm sorry but am I interrupting something?"

The Hokage looked to me before shaking his head, saying, "No, no. Nothing that needs to be further discussed. What is it Iruka?"

"Team Seven passed the second exam."

This brought a smile to his face, "Ah, so Kakashi's squad made it through? Good, good."

It's nice to know he's in good spirits from Naruto making it through, even I'm happy seeing him alright. However, there is still the issue of that man.

"Sir when Team Seven entered the building, another man entered with them."

This got his, and the others attention, "Oh, and who is this man? Does he seem to be a threat?"

"He's not a danger sir, from what Sakura told me he actually aided Team Seven, although that in itself doesn't prove he means us no harm. As for who he is... I honestly don't know sir. He's wearing armor and a helmet so I cant see what he looks like. The style seems strange to me and his name, Ricard, sounds rather foreign."

Indeed, it did seem odd. Especially in the way the name clips and ends abruptly. The Hokage seemed to agree, "Indeed, that is rather strange. And how did he get in the forest?"

Anko shifted in her seat to get a better look at me, "Yeah, everyone's already on high alert after a... 'Certain' incident involving someone getting through into the forest. How'd he manage to get through that?"

I shrugged, having to explain the rather odd part, "Sakura said he emerged from a pair of stone doors underneath a tree in the forest."

The Hokage's eyes widened for a moment, "Really? Iruka, I think I would like to see him now."

"But sir, what about the finalists?"

He shook his head, "The first finalists waited five days, they can wait a few more minutes," He then smiled, "Besides, I think our guest is getting rather impatient

I nodded, "Very well." I turned around and opened the door behind me, allowing Ricard, with his helmet off and his ear pressed against where the door used to be, to spill forward into the room.

Definitely not a ninja.

* * *

Naruto used to do that all the time, and Konohamaru still does it.

I couldn't help but smile at the almost childish display that unfolded in front of me, and, judging by the snickering emanating from the three ninja in front of me, I was not the only one amused. It was almost like being back in my office with Naruto or my grandson. Almost, seeing as how Naruto and Konohamaru never swore under their breath when this happened... Well at least not as much.

"Ow," they also weren't wearing very hard and heavy armor, "Ah, Dammit all, why did you open it that quickly?!"

Iruka sighed and, like he was lecturing on of his students, said, "You shouldn't have been eavesdropping in the first place, it's rude."

The man looked to Iruka with a rather annoyed glare, and I began to take in his facial features. His eyes and nose stuck out to me first, as the latter quite literally stuck out quite a distance from his face, pointing a bit downwards at the end, and it also seemed quite thinner than most noses I've seen. His eyes on the other hand seemed smaller and, for lack of a better term, droopier than the average eye. They were blue, but unlike Naruto's bright blue eyes, seemed darker and grayer. His hair was a dark brown, and while I expected it to be straight, like so many others, it seemed to twist and curl into a wild mess. His face was rather thin, and his complexion was very pallid. Either he was a civilian and exposing himself to the world outside his home was a rare occurrence or he was a warrior of some sort who wore his armor far more than he should. As he survived the Forest of Death without hindering the Genin escorting him, the latter is more likely. All in all, even accounting for the foreignness of his features he could be considered as rather plain.

"So, you are Ricard?" I asked, turning his attention away from Iruka.

"I am, and you are the Hokage?" He replied, looking at me. I've seen that look over a hundred times from over a hundred opponents, he's trying to asses how much of a danger I am to him. If Iruka, and by extension Sakura, is to be believed then he probably knows neither of me or my reputation, so I probably seem to be just a harmless old man to him. And judging by his slipping into a more relaxed position and his gaze being no longer as intense, that is exactly the conclusion he has come too.

I closed my eyes and smiled a rather wide smile, giving myself a more pleasant appearance. After all what's the harm in reinforcing his assumption? "Indeed I am, now I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind."

"No I don't."

"Splendid," I said cheerfully, "First though, what did you think of the three who escorted you here?"

He put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment, "You know that one boy with dark eyes and hair, Sasuke?" I nodded, "He's been cursed."

My eyes shot open and widened, Izumo, Iruka, and Kotetsu looked stunned, and Anko cursed under her breath.

Slowly I let out a long deep breath and said, "After a report I received, I assumed as much. Still, to hear it instead of merely assume it..." suddenly a thought struck me, "How do you know what he has is a curse?" the mark itself looks similar to a tattoo or a symbol painted on the skin, very few would know what it truly is. Even then most ninja aren't very learned in curses or seals, so even if he saw it active there would be very

In response he... removed his gauntlets, then began to reach up towards the clasps for his breastplate. What is he doing? What part of that question would compel him to... No.

He finished removing the armor on his chest and pulled the underlying shirt over his head. Iruka was standing behind him, so he could clearly see what I couldn't, but his horrified face told me all I needed to know. Ricard then slowly began to turn around, saying, "The curse is something I am intimately familiar with", and allowed us to see his back.

It was worse than I imagined. Against his pallid skin wisps of dark stood out vividly as they took the appearance of a swirling vortex, whose core was a large black spot located around his left shoulder blade. True when its powers activated the curse spread through Anko's body, but I could tell that his curse was not active and it was still spreading through his body. Also the curse on Anko looked smooth, like it was painted on, but it seemed like this mans skin was rotting wherever the curse touched. But that was not what horrified me, and the other ninja, it was the way it felt. When the curse mark was active on Anko it could be felt, a malice and bitterness seemed to permeate the air, causing fear to strike the weak willed. This however felt absolutely putrid and repulsive, as some primal part of me was disgusted that what was in front of me even existed, and that I should distance myself from it as quickly as possible. I looked to the other ninja in the room, Izumo and Kotetsu looked like they were going to be sick, and Anko seemed to have lost all color in her face and was as still as a statue.

Enough was enough, "I see. Now, could you please cloth yourself once more?" He looked back to me, and nodded. The moment he put his shirt back on it was like a weight had been lifted from all present.

"Thank you. Now," I gave him a hard look, "How did you come about that? Are you one of Orochimaru's men?" Even if he did come from THERE, it could have been an elaborate trick by my wayward student.

Fortunately for him, he seemed genuinely confused, "Who's Orochimaru?" he said, as serious as could be.

"He is the one responsible for giving that curse to Sasuke Uchiha. If you are not working for him then you must have encountered the curse through very different means. What can you tell us about this curse?" This was the first glimmer of hope, the first chance of gleaning what Orochimaru's plans could possibly be.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Where I am from the curse spreads from one man to the next, like a plague, and affects both their body and soul. Once afflicted they stop aging, and can find they can live through even the most grievous of injuries. Time no longer becomes a threat and they can, theoretically, live forever but..."

Oh yes, Orochimaru would love that, in fact I'm having a hard time imagining he would change the curse to what it is now. However I can feel the other foot dropping, "But?"

He sighed, "The way the curse is contracted is it takes hold of the body upon death, and has equal chance to take hold or to simply let the person die. Once curse the soul is then unnaturally bound to the body, preventing the two from separating. I have seen those with the cursed loose their heads and still live. Also due to the way the soul is unnaturally bound to the body, there tends to be... damage."

I leaned forward, "What kind of damage?"

"Memories are lost as time goes on. In fact more and more memories are lost as time goes on, to the point where memories are lost the moment they are created. In this state of mental confusion the afflicted rational mind is utterly destroyed. All that is left is its strongest emotions and animal instinct acting upon those emotions. Those in this state are called Hollows."

And if there is one thing Orochimaru would never accept, it would be the lose of memories. He told me so long ago that he sought to create and discover every jutsu imaginable, but how could he do so if he couldn't remember any of them. So that's why he's experimenting with the curse mark, and from what Anko has told me about what he plans for Sasuke, he might have found a way around it. However there is one thing about this explanation that sticks out to me.

Anko noticed it too, "Wait a minute. You're saying that the curse only affects those who die? But that means-"

"Yes," he said, not allowing her to finish, "I died, and for the the years following I have died again and again countless times, my curse saving me from total annihilation each time."

He looked at me, straight in the eye, with a voice as serious as the grave.

"I am Undead."


	5. A Long Speech and a Short Match

Well, that announcement certainly surprised them.

From just glancing around, the Hokage was stunned, the woman had a look of disbelief on her face, and the two beside her shared equal looks of shock and confusion.

It was the woman who spoke first, "You honestly expect us to believe that shit?"

The Hokage was a bit more polite, "I must agree, that claim seems a little far fetched. With the exception of certain forbidden _jutsu, _the dead have a tendency to remain that way."

"I care not for whether you believe it or not, for now that I have returned the curse itself will inevitably surface as well. This altered curse that afflicts Sasuke is but a prelude to an epidemic that will scour the land. In time my claim will not be unique." That my very presence may be the cause of the curses reintroduction, well, they don't need to know that.

"Your return? And what do you mean by that? Have you been to these lands before?" The Hokage asked.

"I personally believe I have never left. I emerged from a pair of stone doors in the forest, however," I walked forward, placed my hands on the couch and leaned forward, "Those doors lead to a solitary room with no other exit, and when I entered the room I did not enter in the forest. Indeed I entered there when it lay in a giant chasm underneath a mountain."

The Hokage's eyes widened at this comment. So he knew something about it? We may have more to discuss. However, someone had a completely different reaction, as evidenced by the fist that just then impacted my jaw.

"Ow!" Clutching my jaw I stumbled back and looked towards the couch. There the woman had her fist still raised in the air and her head hanging back to look at me upside down. She then gave me a very wide and "sweet" grin.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't loom over me like that again, its kinda annoying."

I leveled an irritated glare at her, "And I'd appreciate if you'd voice your displeasure and not strike me next time."

"Aww, wheres the fun in that?"

"Iruka," The Hokage said, "You may go. Izumo and Kotetsu, you two take Ricard here to the arena, take him near where I'll be sitting."

On of the men with bandages around his nose gave a questioning glance to the Hokage, "Sir?"

"He is unfamiliar with our ways and the chunin exam proper. We are used to seeing how our ninja fight and their various techniques, however he is not. Perhaps he can provide me an alternative point of view, one I had not considered while appraising our chunin hopefuls."

The two individuals walked over to me and said, "Follow us," which I complied to. As we were leaving I heard the woman try to get up, but the Hokage told her that he wanted to speak with her a moment. He also mentioned her name, Anko. At least now I know who to get back at for punching me.

* * *

I watched Ricard leave with Izumo and Kotetsum before speaking with Anko.

"Well, what do you think?"

She gave a small huff and said, "He's delusional."

"You think his information on the curse is incorrect?"

She gave me an annoyed glare, "No, I think most of what his said is right. The long life, surviving injuries, mental damage, all that I think might be true. But the undead stuff and having to die to get it? Nah, don't buy that for a minute."

"He seemed quite convinced of it."

"Look Lord Hokage, I never told anyone this but a for a week after that bastard gave me that curse I thought I was a giant squid thing, with a fuckin' harpoon in my mouth! It took a week for him to fix whatever the curse did to my head, and that was a later version of it. If he has an unaltered version, and got no mental help like I did, I wouldn't be surprised if he claimed to be a two headed horse."

"And his claims that he has survived fatal wounds?"

A far too wide grin graced her face, "That's how I know he wasn't bull-shitting the whole thing. He said someone can live through very severe injuries with the curse, and he's right on the money. Going crazy due to the curse? Bingo. Combine living through some nasty shit and hair trigger insanity and what do ya get?"

I nodded, the implications all to clear. He would suffer a normally fatal blow and the curse would activate, causing him to lose his sanity temporarily. Survival instincts would most likely take over and he would either destroy that which had wounded him, move far from the source of danger, or both. Either way he would find himself still among the living afterwards. With a failing mind one could easily interpret this as "dying and resurrecting".

"So, do you think he is a threat, what with his mental instability?"

"Pfft, nah. Unless we're going to maul the fuck outta him we should be fine. Hell giving him a job might actually help. It's something to do and focus on, and for people like us, and Sasuke now, focusing on a goal or something keeps our minds off of whatever the curse is doing. Besides if it's enemy ninja who are hurting him... well, I wouldn't want to be them."

Hmm, questionable logic, and in Sasuke's case focus on a particular goal is something we should try and avoid. From what Kakashi has told me he's obsessed enough as it is without encouragement. However looking back Anko was a great deal worse off when she first arrived back in Konoha, and re-instating her did pull her out of that...

"Indeed, that may be a possibility to consider. Either way we should head down to the arena. It's bad enough making the finalists wait, but Ricard has shown a lack of patience."

Laughing at the memory, we made our way to the arena.

* * *

Aaargh! how much longer do we have to wait, we've been here forever!

I tried complaining to Sakura and Sasuke, but that just got me a hit to the head from her and a one of Sasuke's trademark grunts. I swear, like, half of everything he's ever said to me has just been a small 'Hnn'. You'd think the oh so great Uchiha, with all his fan-girls and popularity and cool jutsus, could learn to lighten up. But no he just grunts and turns away from whoever's talking to go do his part of the mission, or go brood in a corner, or whatever he does when we're not together. And every time I point this out, Sakura hits me! Why does she always hit me? I know I ask stupid questions sometimes but you can explain it to me without hitting me. Or maybe that is how you teach people, hell if I know. I mean at the Academy Iruka-sensei wouldn't hit me before a lesson and I certainly didn't learn anything from him.

Anyway, apparently I'm supposed to be quite because its respectful and 'We don't want to look like idiots in front of everyone else'. But I know I'm not the only one who's bored. Everyone else standing with us is either twitching slightly or standing in a relaxed way. Even Ricard came by earlier and is now near where I think the Hokage should be, and now he's trying to wear a hole in the ground by pacing. He doesn't even have his helmet so I can see his face! To be honest he looks kinda weird, but what do I know, I saw plenty of weird people in Wave country. Zabuza had sharp teeth and no eyebrows, Haku looked like a girl, and that one person we saw had two different colored eyes! If anything his odd shaped face is the most normal thing I've seen.

Aha! There's the old man now! Wait. No. Oh no he's going to give a speech! That means we're going to have to stand here even longer!

"First off, for those of you who have made it through the second exam, I offer my sincere congratulations. Before we move on to the third test, there is something I would like you to know... The true purpose of these Exams."

True purpose? Isn't it just to get genin promoted to chunin? No matter what Sasuke says I'm smart enough to understand that.

"Why do all the allied countries take the exam together? 'To promote friendship between countries', 'To raise the abilities of shinobi'. All of these true, yes, however the exams are, so to speak..."

He paused, taking a deep breath, and closed his eyes as if in deep thought, us waiting for him to tell us. And waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and I think he's going to say something! No, wait, just another deep breath. Come on, we waited for you to come out here, we waited for you to get to the point of this speech, and now you want us to wait to find out its "true purpose" now that you've mentioned it? Well? What is it?

"The exams are a representation of the battles between shinobi villages and a replacement for war."

... What? I'm not sure how that makes sense, what with the talk of 'friendship' earlier. And I know its not just me for once, a lot of other people are confused too. Heck I can see Ricard looking at the Hokage... Huh, I never knew you could raise an eyebrow that high.

"Now, if we look into the history of our lands, all of our allies were once enemies, fighting for power. However, to avoid needless destruction of their military forces, these nations chose champions to fight for their country in a specified place and time. This is the origin of what is now the Chunin Selection Exams."

Alright I have to say something, "What does that have to do with us?! We're just here to get promoted to chunin! Besides we're not at war, so whats the point of that?!" I mean it makes sense but it's just weird. We're not fighting any nation right now, so why do we have to do this thing they did during a war to promote us? Hell he even said their champions were selected, and while I might be the next Hokage I wouldn't say I'm a champion... At least not right now.

"Actually, while it is the truth that the purpose of these exams is to select shinobi for promotion, its not the whole story. These exams allow for a place for ninja to carry the pride of their nation and show their skills in a field of battle. Whats more, many leaders and rulers will come and observe you're battles, and these rulers may see the strength of one ninja or village and choose to them for work. If there is any gap in power more jobs will be offered to those with great strength, while those offered to nations perceived weaker shall decline. Therefore it is important to show our strength when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries."

Kiba spoke up around now, "Yeah, well why is it important for us to risk our lives?!" Wow, Kiba making a good point, I never thought I'd see the day.

"The countries strength is the villages strength, the villages strength is the shinobi's strength, and the shinobi's strength can only be truly gauged when their life is on the line. That is why you stake your lives in these exams, so that others may see the shinobi's and thus the nation's strength."

Some girl I'd never really seen before spoke up next, "But what was all that about friendship earlier?"

"You only remember half of it, to not mistake the true purpose of these exams. In these exams you fight other shinobi with your all and with the pride of your nation, that among shinobi is friendship. The other half of these exams is to fight for you'r very life."

* * *

Well... This is rather odd.

If you had told me while I still walked Drangleic that someone would set up a test for young children barley past their first adolescent growth spurts to fight for their lives for political reasons in order to cement their carriers as mercenaries I would have laughed so hard I'd asphyxiate. But then again many in this land would probably laugh at the idea of a tiny doll like creature without a face leading a group of murderous bastards, or a group of insane midgets protecting some bells, so who am I to talk?

Well the children seemed to take it well, as the Hokage finished his speech, and another man came in to explain that they would be hosting a preliminary match before moving on to the third exam proper. So a bunch of small children armed with tiny throwing knives are going to to and duke it out? At least I will not be bored. I looked towards the Hokage, and seeing he had taken a seat and had prepared another seat next to him, sat down beside him.

"So," He began, "What does our guest think of the exams so far."

I looked over and gave him a look of exasperation, "So far the concept itself seems silly. Even if what you said about the history of these exams is correct, children are a far cry from champions of a nation. Furthermore the number of true participants of the third exam shall be less than seen here, and not all of them shall be promoted. How then is your village capable of maintaining a steady number of promoted, what was the word, shinobi if you can only promote a handful of individuals at a time?"

He made a small chuckling noise in his throat, "Heh, well, the truth of the matter is not every chunin needs to pass the exam to be promoted. Excellence in service and a high number of successful jobs can be rewarded with a promotion as well as promotion on the battlefield in times of war. The exams however, as you have probably guessed by now, is entirely political. Not all who become chunin take these exams, but we encourage to take the exam those who show extraordinary talent and skill so that others may see what our village is capable of."

I can see his reasoning, if those in power can see the talent the village produces their more likely to hire from that village. However, how they are supposed to convey that talent through children is still a ways beyond me. I even say as much to the Hokage, and he simply smiled and said, "Just wait and see."

The man who took over explaining the preliminaries has finished and has now announced the first round. Apparently it is Sasuke and one of Kabuto's teammates. Well I don't have much faith in Sasuke; the curse has crippled him badly and he will be at a severe disadvantage if it starts to do its work in the middle of the fight. Sure I've known undead who have severely handicapped themselves for a greater challenge, but they're called the Company of Champions for a reason.

The fight starts off with Sasuke pulling out a throwing knife and using it like a dagger. Do these people not have proper daggers? Anyway the other one threw several sharp objects, like throwing knives but with a point in all directions, which Sasuke used his knife to deflect. Ah, it appeared that the curse has awakened briefly, forcing Sasuke to the ground. His challenger, with that impressive speed the others displayed earlier, advanced quickly on his prone form and struck where he was resting. Sasuke managed to roll out of the way but the mans strike leaves and impressive crater in the flooring, trapping his arm and allowing Sasuke to catch him in a hold and grapple him to the ground. After a few moments his hold is broken and the other boy strikes back, leaving Sasuke on the ground. The opponent then grasps Sasuke by the head, and Sasuke appears to grow weaker and weaker, leaving me to wonder what the hell is going on?!

I turn to the Hokage for help, "Sasuke seems to be growing weaker. However I cannot feel the curse so I assume it is not the cause, would you know why?"

"It appears that Yoroi Akado is capable of absorbing chakra through touch, leaving Sasuke drained. With what the curse is already doing to him he is unable to use jutsu or his clans specialty, butting him at an extreme disadvantage."

I nodded but stopped, another question on my mind, "And what is chakra?"

He looked at me oddly, but explained, "It is the combination of energy produced from physical endurance and energy from spiritual and mental fortitude. The combination allows for shinobi to preform great physical feats and preform special techniques known as jutsu. Do your people truly not know of it?"

Ah, so it was like stamina, and how swinging a sword or casting a spell could make one physically exhausted, "No, we know of it, just by a different name." If this Yoroi could drain a persons stamina then he was a dangerous opponent indeed.

He nodded, and we turned our attention back to the fight. Apparently Naruto had been shouting at Sasuke ("Is that illegal?" "No.") to get up and continue to fight. His oppenent also began to charge at him. Somehow Sasuke managed to pull whatever reserves of energy he could to place himself under Yoroi and kick him high into the air, and with increadible acrobatics managed to meet him in the air just below him. For just a split second I could feel the curse on him begin to activate, before it was suppressed. Good, with him being alive the curse appears to have less sway over him than it would otherwise. Sasuke then began to deliver a barrage of kick and punches to Yoroi as they descended, with a final kick to the abdomen as he hit the ground.

While it was obvious that Yoroi was now unconscious, the proctor checked on him before making his announcement.

"Yoroi Akado is unconscious and unable to continue, the winner is Sasuke Uchiha!"

After the announcement a young man with grey hair and one eye came and escorted Sasuke out of the arena.

"Who's he? And where's he going?"

The Hokage looked over to who I was pointing to and said, "That would be Kakashi, and he is the jonin instructors of Team 7, of which Sasuke is apart of. I gave him instructions on a sealing jutsu that would put the curse under control."

"You couldn't do that before the match?"

He shrugged, "Lack of time, and the jonin instructors are not to interfere with their students immediately after the second exam in case we need to hold preliminaries, like awe are now. If he had gotten here a day or so earlier we could have done it in secret, however he only just arrived."

He took in a long draw from his pipe, and after letting out a long cloud of smoke said, "Still he did well, all things considered, and fought valiantly despite being, oh what was it, just a child?"

the Hokage looked to me, a smile on his face, and I know exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Alright," I admitted, "They may be children but they're damn good at fighting."

With that the Hokage nodded, and we both waited to hear the next fight.


End file.
